Scott Donald Tester, 29, of Chatfield, reportedly used a stolen car to ram an occupied Rochester police car before leading officers on a short vehicular chase Saturday morning.
Tester was arrested without further incident at 5:59 a.m., Capt. Casey Moilanen said.
The police department is referring charges of first-degree assault, use of deadly force against a police officer, fleeing police officers in a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle, and first-degree property damage, all of which are felonies. Tester could also be charged with reckless driving and driving after revocation.
At about 5 a.m. Saturday, a police officer noted a stolen 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 parked behind 225 11th Ave. NE.
Police set up a perimeter around the truck and put stop sticks at the intersection of Seventh Street and 11th Avenue Northeast.
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The better part of an hour later, Tester drove the stolen truck north up 11th Avenue and took a left onto 7th Avenue. Police followed him onto 12th Ave., which is a dead end, and Tester reversed the truck into a squad car. The use of the vehicle to attack police constituted use of deadly force, Moilanen said.
Tester hit a power pole, which fell onto the roof of the truck, but Tester kept driving. He pulled out onto Seventh Avenue and 11th Avenue again, where he met other police cars. He headed north on 11th Avenue, then turned east on 10th Street Northeast, north on 12th Avenue, and turned onto 14th Street Northeast.
Tester made it to the 1900 block of Viola Road before crashing into a ditch near the top of a hill.
Three squad cars were damaged in the incident — two were driven back to the government center, and one was towed.
No police officers were harmed, and Tester was also uninjured.
